


A Catradora Christmas

by NoirAngel011



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: 25 Days of Catradora, Adora can't wrap presents to save her life, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Catra is very very gay, Christmas, F/F, Famous!Catra, I will work Mara into anything and everything, Literally only because if given the oppertunity, Mara is Adora's daughter, Mild Language, Most of these will be pretty short, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Probably the product of not being child soliders, Retail Workers Catra and Adora, They like lowkey have some confidence here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirAngel011/pseuds/NoirAngel011
Summary: Welcome to 25 Days of Catradora Christmas!!Every day a new story will be posted based on a prompt from the list in the first chapter. I'm going in no particular order, so if you see a prompt you'd like me to do next just let me know and I probably will because literally none of these are prewritten like they really should be.All of these will be separate stories and in different AUs.So, I'm losing motivation for this story so don't be surprised if it takes me longer than 25 days to get all the chapters done.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 92





	1. Prompt List

  1. Adora and Catra, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.
  2. Adora’s best friend rigs the Secret Santa, because they know she has a crush on Catra.
  3. Catra works as a Santa’s helper. Adora has a small sibling/child.
  4. Adora is desperate to find a particular item (book/toy/etc.) as a present for someone, but it’s been sold out everywhere. Catra helps.
  5. Adora and Catra are co-workers, but they barely know each other. But they both have to work through the holidays.
  6. Adora and Catra meet in the ER on Christmas Eve.
  7. Adora can’t wrap gifts to save her life. Catra is her neighbor and can help.
  8. Adora’s ex will be at the Christmas Party she’s is attending. Catra poses as her fiance.
  9. Adora vows to do something nice for a stranger during the Christmas time. Catra is that stranger.
  10. Adora and Catra both sign up for a Christmas Pen Pal project to exchange postcards.
  11. Adora and Catra broke up, but now they meet at a Christmas party.
  12. Adora is stuck working in a coffee shop on Christmas Day and Catra is the lonely soul spending their whole day there.
  13. Adora’s little sibling/child wants to meet their favorite celebrity/writer/person for Christmas. Catra is said “Christmas present”.
  14. Adora can’t travel to see her family on Christmas, so she invites her grumpy loner neighbor Catra over.
  15. Adora and Catra compete in Christmas house decoration.
  16. Adora bakes too many Christmas cookies so they share it with Catra.
  17. Catra has to dress up as Santa for Christmas.
  18. Adora and Catra have to save Christmas.
  19. It’s Catra’s Christmas since a tragedy.
  20. Adora returns to her birth-town for the holidays. Catra is their estranged childhood best friend.
  21. Adora is pretending to be their friend’s lover for the sake of the friend’s family. Catra is said friend’s sibling.
  22. Adora loses a bet and has to wear a different ugly Christmas sweater every day till Christmas. Catra works at a clothes store.
  23. Adora owns a struggling toy store. Catra is looking for a Christmas present.
  24. Adora doesn’t feel the Christmas spirit but Catra, who lives above her, keeps playing Christmas carols really loud.
  25. Adora overhears Catra’s Christmas wish and decides to fulfill it.




	2. Prompt 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora can’t wrap gifts to save her life. Catra is her neighbor and can help.

Catra groaned as she listened to the sounds of the girl in the apartment next door to her grunt and groan. She sounded like she was getting murdered without the screaming.

She heard a long, drawn-out groan and sat up in bed, clicking off her headphones. She really shouldn’t have been able to hear her neighbor through both the walls and her music, but she could.

She contemplated her actions for a few moments before swinging her legs out of bed and leaving her bedroom, going out into the hallway.

Catra felt ridiculous, but she was going to do this. Whatever was going on, she wanted it to stop. She just really hope that she wasn’t about to walk in on the girl having sex.

She didn’t really know any of her neighbors, but she knew that this one was pretty. She had watched her bringing groceries once or twice. She always had her hair in the dumbest poof on top of her head and a super tight ponytail anytime Catra saw her.

She was pretty. Catra liked to tell herself that it was a fact anyone could see, and not just her having a crush. She was not about to turn this into a meet-cute. The most cliche trick in the book. She raised a hand to knock on the door.

“Ahhh!” The girl inside yelled, there was a thump and then what sounded like manic crying. Catra took a step back.

Quarter-life crisis? It was three days to Christmas, that would be pathetic. Catra decided that she had to see this. She finally knocked on the door.

“It’s unlocked!” Yelled the girl inside. Catra pushed the door open.

“Uh, what’s happening here?” Catra asked. The blonde was surrounded by wrapping paper torn to shreds and tape stuck to every surface around her.

“Wait, you’re not Glimmer,” she said, looking up. There were tears on her face and her hair was disheveled. 

“Yeah, no. I’m in the apartment next to you.” Catra jabbed her thumb towards the wall. “You sounded like you were having a breakdown. I figured I would come to check it out. Make sure you weren’t like, gonna die or something.”

“Oh.” the blonde said simply. She pushed herself off the ground, attempting to brush the wrapping paper off of her but realizing that it was all taped to her clothes. She looked up at Catra. “I’m Adora, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Catra. We haven’t.” She snorted looking around at the mess. “Having trouble?”

Adora sighed. “Yeah. I can’t wrap presents to save my life.”

Catra surveyed the mess. She bit her lip.

“Want some help?”

Adora’s eyes lit up.

“You would help me?!”

Catra crossed her arms over her chest.

“You look like you lost a fight with a roll of wrapping paper. I don’t have much of a choice.”

Adora looked like a lost puppy who had just found her own. Catra grabbed a box that was covered in mangled paper.

She pulled the paper from it and grabbed a fresh roll of the stuff, laying it out and starting to wrap the box. Adora stood off to the side, biting her bottom lip.

After Catra had wrapped four boxes in silence, she turned to Adora.

“Do you want me to teach you how?” Adora nodded.

“I thought you’d never ask!” She rushed over to stan beside Catra. Catra grabbed the next box and took off the scraps of paper taped to it.

“Okay, roll out that one across the table.” She pointed to the roll of paper she had been using. Adora did as instructed, rolling out the paper. Catra set the box down about eight inches from the bottom.

“You need to make sure that you have enough paper beneath it to wrap up around the bottom. Same on the side. Now grab the scissors.” Adora nodded furiously and grabbed the blue scissors, handing them to Catra. Catra carefully cut the paper along the roll.

“Now, wrap it around the box. Start with folding the bottom up and tape it in place.” Catra folded the bottom up around the box and gestured for Adora to put on the tape. Adora did, securing it to the box. 

“Good. Now do the top, same thing.” Catra folded the top over and Adora taped it down once again.

“The sides are where it always goes wrong,” Adora said.

“Turn the box towards you. Push in the sides of the paper, then fold the top part down and flatten it out.” Catra demonstrated and Adora watched her every movement. “Now fold the bottom part all the way up over it to hold it in place and tape it down. The key is to make sure that it’s really tight, but not so tight it rips.”

Adora carefully placed down the piece of tape on the seam.

“Now you do the other side,” Catra said, turning the box towards Adora.

Adora carefully followed Catra’s instructions, and Catra couldn’t help but think that the way her tongue stuck out of her mouth a little when she was really focused was adorable.

After a few minutes of struggling, Ador managed to finally get the side folded and taped. It wasn’t as pretty as Catra’s but it was better than whatever she had been doing before.

Catra smiled.

“Good job, Adora,” she praised.

“It’s not as good as yours,” Adora said, turning the box around in her hands. Catra laughed.

“Of course it isn’t. But it’s decent for a first try.” Adora thought about her words for a moment before beaming at her.

They continued to wrap until all the presents were hidden behind veils of paper. Catra watched as Adora wrote on the top of every box with a sharpie.

To: Glimmer, From: Adora

To: Bow, From: Adora.

She watched as Adora reached into the large box where she kept all her wrapping supplies. She pulled out a holiday card and scribbled something on the inside, then slid it into an envelope.

Catra gasped quietly as she watched Adora write the tag on the front.

To: Catra, From: Adora.

Adora then spun around and handed her the card.

“Merry Christmas, Catra,” she said, smiling. Catra took it from her.

“Guess I’ll see you around?” Catra asked.

“I’m sure you will,” she winked, then turned back to writing on the top of every box. Catra saw herself out of the apartment.

Once the door was shut behind her, she practically raced back to her apartment and bedroom. She jumped on her bed and carefully opened the car, although she wanted to just rip into it.

**‘Up for coffee sometime, cutie?’** it read. Catra would have squealed had she been that type of girl. At the bottom of the card was her phone number.

Catra fell back against her pillows, holding the card to her chest. 

Maybe Adora being a dumbass worked out for them both.


	3. Prompt 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Catra are co-workers, but they barely know each other. But they both have to work through the holidays.

Catra hated this, really.

She would rather be spending her Christmas Eve doing anything else, but no. Here she was, doing inventory.

There were three other employees in the store. Her manager, Hordak, the girl on AP, Scorpia, and a cashier whose name she didn’t know. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey had been playing on repeat for two hours now and Catra was ready to jump off a cliff.

“I swear if I hear that GODDAMN SONG ONE MORE TIME!” Catra yelled. No customers were in the store currently, and Catra was free to voice her anger. She heard a giggle from the cash register and rolled her eyes. Stupid dumb blonde girl.

The song started again and Catra almost walked straight out of the store. She took a moment to breathe, then walked to the front of the store to pick up a box of returned items from the desk near the cash registers.

“Here,” she heard a voice behind her say. Catra whirled around, finding the blonde girl holding out a wireless earbud to her. “I heard you yell about the music.”

Catra glared at her but hesitantly took the earbud. She slid it into her left ear and was blasted by the noise of Taylor Swift. Of course. Of course, this girl listened to Taylor Swift. She gritted her teeth and turned back around to sort out the box of returns.

Twenty minutes later, and no, Catra was not enjoying the music the girl had given her. No, she was not mouthing the words to Blank Space as she worked, and no, she was not letting her eyes drift to see what the cashier was doing as she stocked shelves and took inventory.

Okay, fine, Catra was mesmerized by the way the blonde’s ponytail swung as she moved and the way she bopped her head to the music, and the way her mouth moved when she laughed at something Scorpia said from nearby. But it was nothing important. She just thought the girl was kind of pretty. Nothing to bring any concern at all.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched a customer come up to her.

“Excuse me, miss?” She turned around and found a kid maybe seven or eight standing there.

“What can I help you with?” Catra asked, putting on her customer service voice. 

“Where are the video games?” she asked. Catra pointed towards the middle back of the store.

“Right over there.” The girl smiled and ran off. Catra found herself smiling too.

“You look good with kids.” There was her voice again as she stood behind her, abandoning her station.

“And why is that of any concern to you?” Catra asked, turning around to face the cashier.

“It’s not. But I thought I’d let you know.” 

Catra bit her lip. She glanced down to her nametag. Adora. That was a pretty name.

“Hey, Adora. Are you doing anything tomorrow?” 

Shit, why would she ask that? Tomorrow was Christmas! Catra mentally slapped herself. Adora laughed though.

“No, unfortunately. My parents and brother live pretty far away and since I’m working tonight I couldn't go visit them.” Catra frowned.

“That sucks.”

“What about you?” Adora asked.

“I haven’t spent Christmas with my family in years. I hate my mom.” Catra slid a box onto the shelf.

“Well, do you wanna hang out with me tomorrow? I assume you aren’t busy.” Catra was caught off guard. She would never have expected Adora to shoot her shot for her. She didn’t look like the type.

“Confident, are we?” Catra asked. Adora laughed.

“Hey, I know when to make a move on a pretty girl.” Adora had a huge red blush across her face and Catra smirked.

“You think I’m pretty, huh?” Adora smiled.

“Well, yeah. You are.” Catra froze as the song both girls were listening to changed. 

Lover? Okay, was God real and if so, why was he messing with her? Catra rolled her eyes.

“Okay, sure. Let’s hang out tomorrow.” Catra pulled a pen out of her pocket and grabbed Adora’s arm, scribbling her number on her hand.

“My place at one. Text me and I’ll send you the address.” Catra winked and turned around, walking off to finish stocking the shelves. 

Adora just stood there, jaw dropped and eyes sparkling. Catra heard her quietly squeal with a quiet “Yes!” as she returned to the cash register.


	4. Prompt 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora’s little sibling/child wants to meet their favorite celebrity/writer/person for Christmas. Catra is said “Christmas present”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I really struggled with this prompt? Cause I did.   
> Part of this is definitely inspired by the time I went to a Melanie Martinez concert and it was so fucking cold waiting in line to get inside.

Adora couldn’t believe that  _ this  _ was how she was spending her Christmas. Standing outside in the freezing cold well past midnight, waiting in line for a freaking Meet and Greet for a person whose name she didn’t even know.

“Mara, are you sure you want to do this? We already saw the concert, we can just go home now,” she asked the ten-year-old.

“Yes, mom! I already told you! This is my  _ dream _ ! It’s all I want for Christmas!” Mara dragged out the word ‘dream’ like most over-dramatic kids would. 

“Okay, whatever you want,” Adora relented. Adora was well aware that this wasn’t the only thing Mara was getting for Christmas, but it was certainly the most expensive. And probably the only thing she was going to talk about for the next two months.

Mara had been a total accident. A teenage hookup gone wrong. Adora didn’t even know her dad, some druggie who was much older than her, but neither of them cared. She was fully intent on spoiling her daughter until the end of her days.

Even if that meant standing outside wearing a pair of fishnets tights, in the snow, on Christmas eve.

“What was this girl’s name again?” Adora asked, pulling her jacket around herself tighter.

Mara rolled her eyes.

“It’s Catra! She’s only the best pop star of the century!”

Adora nodded. The line moved up a little. Adora leaned to the side to try and gauge how much longer this would be. Hopefully less than two hours. 

Hopefully.

There was snow on the ground, so Mara couldn’t do her usual method of sitting on the floor when lines were slow like she normally would. Instead, she leaned back against her mother. Adora rolled her eyes and let her. She would like to be leaning against someone right now too.

Finally, finally, they got up to the room. It was a small building near the outside of the stadium Catra had just played, maybe a little bit smaller than a school classroom. Surprisingly, only one group was allowed into the room at a time to get autographs and pictures taken.

Mara and Adora were let in and Adora couldn’t remember the last time Mara had looked so excited. She rushed towards the table Catra was sitting behind, poster for her to sign in hand.

Adora stood back and let them converse, watching the way Mara beamed as she got to interact with her favorite celebrity. Adora then noticed just how cute Catra was.

Her messy brown hair was in a high ponytail and her eyes were mismatched colors, one blue and the other a hazel/yellow color. Her lips were dark red and her teeth a pearly white. She was beautiful. Adora glanced over at the two bodyguards. 

Adora looked back towards Mara and Catra, who were now getting their photo taken. Adora smiled.

Mara soon came running back over to her, poster in hand. She also held a small card.

“Here, it’s got the ID for the picture on it so you can download it whatever,” Mara handed Adora the card. Adora nodded and placed a hand on Mara's back, leading her out of the room and down the sidewalk as they headed towards their car.

“She called me adorable! Me! Catra called me adorable!” Mara gushed.

“Well, that’s objective, baby,” Adora said, lightly booing Mara’s nose. Mara giggled and climbed into the backseat of the car. Adora slid into the driver's side and finally took a look at the card. From the front, it was completely normal, but when she went to set it down she noticed writing on the back of it.

_ It’s only every once in a while I meet such a cute little girl with such a hot caregiver. Maybe give me a call sometime? I’d like to get to know you ;) _

Written below her fancy cursive scrawl were her phone number and her signature. Adora’s jaw dropped. She could only assume Catra was talking to her, and would be highly concerned if the message was intended for Mara.

Well, looks like Mara may be getting a little more than she expected out of this Christmas present.


	5. Prompt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora’s best friend rigs the Secret Santa, because she knows Adora has a crush on Catra.

“I cannot believe that you’re making us do a secret Santa,” Adora groaned. Glimmer glared at her.

“It’ll be fun! We never do anything fun anymore!”

“Maybe because we’re college seniors overwhelmed with all of our work?” Bow asked. Glimmer rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s why. But it’s winter vacation, we can have some time for fun! Come on, we’re meeting the others for lunch in ten minutes!” Glimmer grabbed Bow and Adora’s wrists and dragged her two best friends out of the apartment. They got to the end of the hallway before Adora spoke.

“Uh, Glimmer? Shouldn’t you lock your door?”

“Fuck.” Glimmer dropped their wrists and ran back to her apartment. Bow and Adora shared a look, snickering.

Bow, Glimmer, and Adora arrived at the sandwich shop late, but that was okay because Mermista and Sea Hawk were behind too. They all sat around the largest table, catching up and talking about anything and everything that had happened since they last saw each other.

Adora and Catra’s eyes met as they both looked out the window at the snow coming down outside. Adora quickly diverted her gaze, taking a drink of her water.

“Okay, so guys, I already talked about this with Bow and Adora but I thought it would be fun to do a secret Santa this year!” Glimmer announced. Everyone looked up at her.

Glimmer held up her phone, which had a secret Santa website pulled up where she had inputted everyone’s names. “Sound good?”

Everyone nodded and agreed, looking around at each other.

“So, when I press the button this will email all of you who you got.”

“Why can’t we just do it normally? Like draw names out of a hat?” Mermista asked. Glimmer rolled her eyes.

“Because this makes sure nobody gets themself.” Mermista looked at her suspiciously.

Adora felt her phone buzz and looked down to open the email.

She got Catra. Shit. Of course, it was just her luck that she would get her crush. She looked up and caught Catra looking at her intently. Adora just turned away before the blush on her face could give herself away.

It would be fine, it was just a secret Santa. Right?

…

“Who’d you get for the secret Santa?” Scorpia asked. Catra rolled her eyes.

“Isn’t the whole point of a secret Santa is that it’s secret?” Catra asked.

“Oh, right,” Scorpia said sheepishly.

The two went back to working silently. They were in their shared apartment, doing schoolwork that was eating away at their very beings.

“I got Mermista,” Scorpio blurted out. Catra shot her a look.

“That’s great.” Catra went back to her laptop.

“What do you think she’d like?” Scorpia asked. Catra shrugged.

“Dunno. Ask Sea Hawk.”

“Sea Hawk! That’s a great idea!” Scorpia got up to run to her bedroom. Catra looked down at the email she had left open on her phone.

Adora. What the hell was she going to get Adora?

…

Adora had been making lists all afternoon. She needed to get Catra something special, but she had no idea what! Sure, she would enjoy a tin of cookies, but that was so bland and basic it made Adora shiver. If there was one thing she was not, it was an unthoughtful gift-giver.

“You’re overthinking it, Adora.” Bow told her. Adora shook her head.

“No, it needs to be good. If anything, I’m not thinking about it enough!”

“Who’d you get anyway?” Glimmer asked from the couch.

“Why would I tell you?” Adora asked, shooting her a glare as she hunched over her lists. She crossed something out near the bottom of one of them.

“So it’s one of us.” Glimmer said matter-of-factly. Adora shook her head.

“It’s Catra! It’s Catra and I have no idea what to get her because she had no idea that I’m totally in love with her!” Adora wailed, breaking. She fell over the kitchen island and over all her papers. Glimmer laughed.

“You’re in love with Catra?” Glimmer asked smugly.

Adora glared at her.

“Not. One. Word.”

…

Finally, Christmas Eve had arrived and everyone was sitting in the food court of their local mall, ready to exchange their gifts. 

Everyone put their wrapped gifts in the center of the table, then Glimmer mixed them all up.

“Okay, find the one with your name on it, then open it!” They all began searching through the pile.

Catra picked up the box with her name on it. It was square-shaped and wrapping in a red and green striped paper. Not too Christmas-y, just how she liked it.

She slowly opened it and was met with a brown packaging box. She undid the tape on it and reached inside, pulling out a delicately wrapped object. It was, a photo album?

Catra began to flip through it. The cover was plain black and unsuspicious with a drawing on the front but Catra recognized it. It was a doodle she and Adora had drawn on Adora’s bedroom wall when they were six. It had been redrawn here in silver marker and Catra softly smiled.

Inside the album was full of pictures from a variety of points of time in her and Adora’s lives. Some were happy, some were silly, some were sad, but by all of them Adora had written what the memory meant to her in a beautiful black pen, her neat handwriting filling the pages. Catra’s smile widened. When she got to the last page, she was met with just a note.

_ Catra, we’ve been best friends for so long, you feel like a part of me. You know everything there is to know about me, except for one thing I’ve been hiding for a while. Catra, I don’t know how to say this so I’m writing it in pen and hoping I don’t mess it up. I’m in love with you and I always have been. Will you go out with me? I have to ask now or I might never.  _

_ Happy Holidays,  _

_ Love, Adora. _

Catra looked up at Adora across the table, who was hugging the cat plush and chocolates Catra had gotten her to her chest while her eyes were filled with tears. Their eyes met like they had all the way back in the sandwich shop and Catra nodded.

Adora beamed.

Bow looked between Catra and Adora and Glimmer. He leaned over to his girlfriend.

“Did you seriously rig the secret Santa?” he asked. Glimmer smiled.

“Just for them. We both know they would never have said a word otherwise.” 

Glimmer caught Adora’s eye and winked causing the blonde to blush. Catra giggled.

This might just have been her best Christmas yet.


	6. Prompt 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora bakes too many Christmas cookies so she shares them with Catra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really tired today so this is super short and kinda shitty but what are you gonna do? At least it's something.

“Adora, you realize that I said I need 2 dozen, right?”

Adora pulled a tray of cookies out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack. She looked up at Glimmer, who was standing on the other side of the kitchen island with her arms crossed.

“Uh- you did? I thought you said 12…”

Glimmer gasped.

“Let me get this right. I said I needed 24 cookies and you made 144?!” Adora nodded sheepishly.

“Um, yeah. I guess I did.” Glimmer grabbed her hair and groaned.

“What are we going to do with 120 extra cookies, Adora?”

Adora looked around at the sugar cookies surrounding them.

“Tupperware party?”

Glimmer looked at her, confused.

“That’s not what a Tupperware party is, Adora.” Glimmer shook her head and grabbed a cookie, taking a bite. “Not bad cookies though.”

…

Adora and Glimmer had been walking from door to door for almost an hour now. They dragged a wagon full of at least twenty different containers of cookies each containing a few of the leftovers. They were walking towards the last apartment on the last floor. 

Adora stepped up to the door and raised her hand to knock. She bit her lip. Catra lived here, and the last time she had spoken to Catra they hadn’t ended on very good terms. Catra had been pretty pissed about their breakup.

Adora sighed as she knocked. Time to face the feelings head-on? Adora wasn’t sure she was ready for that this close to Christmas. Glimmer handed her the last box of cookies.

Catra opened the door and peeked her head out. A sour look immediately crossed her face.

“What the hell do you want?” Adora smiled despite Catra’s hostility.

“I baked too many cookies. Thought you might want some.” Adora held the box out to her.

“Yeah, sure. Like this isn’t a rouse to poison me.” Glimmer rolled her eyes behind Adora.

“Just take the cookies so we can go. It’s cold out here.”

It wasn’t cold in the slightest in the hallway. Catra glared at Glimmer. Still, with a hesitant hand, she reached out for the cookies. She grabbed the box and then slipped back into her apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Adora and Glimmer took that as their cue to leave. Glimmer pulled the now empty wagon as they made their way back to their apartment.

“That could have gone worse,” Adora said, ever the optimist. Glimmer nodded.

“I suppose so.”

…

Adora and Glimmer hadn’t expected to get a knock on their door the day after Christmas. Adora’s eyebrows furrowed as she got up to open the door. She opened it slowly, surprised to see who was on the other side.

“Catra?” she asked. The brunette was standing on her doorstep, holding a fluffy red article of clothing.

“I never gave this back to you. Scorpia found it in my closet. So here, have it.” Catra held out the sweater and Adora recognized it as one Catra would steal from her and regularly wear around back when they were dating. Adora smiled, taking it back.

“Thank you. Merry Christmas, Catra.”

Catra gave her a little smile.

“Merry Christmas, Adora, and uh, thanks for the cookies. They were good.”

Adora beamed as Catra walked away. She slowly shut the door and hugged the sweater to her chest.

A merry Christmas it was.


	7. Prompt 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Catra’s first Christmas since a tragedy.

Catra stared out the window at the snow falling down outside. She sighed.

She hated Christmas.

Well, she didn’t always hate Christmas. She used to love Christmas when she was younger. As an orphan, it was never about the presents to her. It was always about the pretty lights and the fluffy snow and the hot cocoa. She loved the wintertime.

She still did, deep down. The snow was beautiful coming down outside her apartment, but she was too busy with her work to go play in it like she used to as a kid. Catra took a drink of her tea.

This year was her first Christmas without Adora.

She and Adora had been best friends for as long as she could remember. They had dated briefly before it all went to shit. Before Adora found better friends in Bow and Glimmer once they went to college.

Catra laid her head against the cold glass. It was nice. It dulled some of the screaming thoughts inside her head. The warm mug in her hands warmed her under her soft flannel blanket. 

She was brought out of her trance by a knock at her door. She rolled her eyes and groaned. Who would be knocking on her door at 8 pm on a Friday? She could have sworn that she paid her rent.

Catra got up from her comfy spot by the window and shuffled to the door. She undid the deadbolt and opened it just enough to see who was on the other side.

She immediately slammed it closed when she got sight of a blonde hair girl still rocking that stupid hair poof.

She waited, hoping that Adora would  _ just go away. _

“Come on, Catra! I wanna talk!” Adora called through the door. Catra lowly growled.

“Go away, Adora! We’re over! We have been for a while now!”

“Catra, come on. We need to talk.” Catra raised up on her tippy toes to see out the peephole. From what she could make out, Adora was… crying? Catra bit her lip.

She felt weak as she opened the door, but she couldn't just let Adora stand on her doorstep crying. It would attract spectators. Catra grabbed Adora’s wrist and pulled her inside.

“What do you want?” she asked harshly. Adora looked around the apartment and wiped away her tears.

“I-I miss you, Catra. Bow and Glimmer started dating last month- and I thought I could handle it, b-but it just makes me miss you even more. I never stopped loving you when we broke up, Catra.” Adora was crying again and buried her face into her hands.

Catra didn’t know what to do. The rational part of her knew she needed to send Adora away or else they would both get hurt again, but the emotional part of her wanted nothing more than to keep her here and hug her and take her back because she missed her too. Catra watched as Adora cried and didn’t even register what she was doing until her arms were wrapped around Adora and she was hugging her for the first time in ten months.

Adora hugged her back immediately and soon Catra found herself crying too. Eventually, both girls ended up on Catra’s old, beat-up couch, Catra laying on top of Adora. She curled up on her chest, snuggling into her. Adora pet her hair and pulled her phone from her pocket. Catra watched as she turned on her Christmas playlist on Spotify. Soft music filled the room and Catra closed her eyes.

“You didn’t put a tree up this year,” Adora noted.

“That was always our thing. It hurt too much,” Catra mumbled. Adora sadly smiled.

“Tomorrow, Catra. We’ll put up a tree and decorate the hell out of it.” Catra giggled.

“Sounds like a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are these getting worse as I go? The answer is yes.


End file.
